Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"Sixth Brother, what do you think of them?"

The sudden question startled Prince Li Yin of Liang, who was watching the play from the side.

For a moment, he couldn't understand what his elder brother meant.

Immediately afterwards, Li Chengqian pointed to Di Rengui and the other person in front of him.

"Those two who were able to pass the exam to become interns in the Royal Military Post Office must have excellent grades. You are also familiar with what the First Official Academy teaches. Although they are a bit young and lack experience... if they are carefully nurtured, they might just become capable ministers like Xiao Rui and Lawyer Pei."

Hearing His Highness the Crown Prince say such a thing.

Realizing what was happening, the brothers Di Rengui and Di Renquan couldn't help but show a surge of excited joy in their eyes.

He couldn't help but look intently at Prince Liang, Li Yin, who was standing to the side.

The news that His Highness Prince Liang is about to represent the Tang Dynasty to Silla has been spreading like wildfire in Taiyuan Prefecture.

Most people don't even know anything about this little-known Prince Liang.

All that is known is that the other party and His Highness the Prince of Han, who is currently in charge of the navy and port construction in Dengzhou, are siblings from the same mother and have the bloodline of the royal families of the Sui and Tang dynasties.

As for anything else, that's all.

Li Yin was taken aback: "This... Your Majesty, you mean, you want them to follow me?!"

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded.

"What, you think they're too young? Otherwise, I'll prepare a few older ones for you? Kong Yingda isn't out of the question either..."

"No, no, no!"

Upon hearing the name Kong Yingda, Li Yin's expression immediately changed.

He hurriedly waved his hands repeatedly.

Last year, the old man was stripped of his title as Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince for adding too many personal tasks that his elder brother disliked when compiling teaching materials. As a result, the Kong family's expansion in the Taiyuan Prefecture officialdom was also somewhat restricted.

Although he has now completely behaved himself.

But... in a godforsaken place like Silla, if that old guy just snapped and died there.

Given the status of the other party, the Kong family, as "important figures," wouldn't it be unfair to make Prince Li Yin of Liang take the blame?

"Your Majesty, stop! That old scoundrel, you should let him continue compiling books. If a patriarch of the Kong family were buried in a place like Silla, I couldn't bear the consequences..."

Li Yin wore a wry smile.

However, this time they finally turned their attention to the Di Rengui brothers standing to the side.

He took a deep breath, looking slightly troubled.

“Your Highness, we have been learning archery since childhood. While we may not be proficient in archery and horsemanship, we are certainly not weaklings. Moreover, our grades in the official school are all excellent.”

Di Rengui hurriedly volunteered, and Di Renquan, who was standing to the side, nodded repeatedly.

“Your Highness, my brother and I know that things are not peaceful in Silla, but if we men of the Tang Dynasty want to make a name for ourselves, then we should go to the most dangerous place!”

"We are not afraid!"

Li Chengqian's satisfaction with the two was now almost palpable.

She smiled and winked at Li Yin.

"Now, both the fifth and seventh brothers have a group of people from the college following them. One wants to study agronomy, and the other wants to study machinery. They both need help."

"Your mission is to completely control Silla, and you will also face pressure from Goguryeo and Baekje. Even within Silla itself, there will undoubtedly be those who are restless and unwilling to remain in power. The difficulty is considerable. You will need a few capable people by your side to handle this task diligently..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yin wanted to say something more.

Suddenly, Di Renquan spoke up.

“Your Highness, even if it's some dirty or tiring work, my brother and I are perfectly capable!”

Li Yin's gaze sharpened slightly.

The so-called dirty and tiring work is naturally not about cleaning up excrement or urine.

Both brothers, surnamed Di, came from families where officials held positions.

They were more mature and reasonable than ordinary scholars who had just entered officialdom, and they knew that there was no black or white line between countries.

There are only conflicts arising from conflicting interests, and alliances formed because of mutually beneficial interests...

Di Rengui also nodded hurriedly.

Seeing this, Li Yin had no choice but to think seriously and pondered for a long time.

"You may all die!"

Di Rengui immediately declared, "As long as it's for the country, then death is death!"

Di Renquan: "That's right. If we were afraid of death, my brother and I wouldn't have chosen to take the exam for the Royal Military Post Office, and we wouldn't have thought about getting military status!"

Seeing this, Li Chengqian patted the two men on the shoulders with satisfaction.

"Alright, Sixth Brother, you don't need to say anything more. I'm quite satisfied with them. I've made the final decision, and they'll follow you from now on..."

As he spoke, he turned to look at the Di brothers.

His expression became more serious.

"You should do your best to stay alive if you can avoid dying. This world is vast, and my ambitions extend far beyond the few countries surrounding the Tang Dynasty. Military merits are inexhaustible, so study more and hone your skills."

"Once you've achieved success, I'll be waiting for the day you're ennobled and appointed as ministers, your names etched in history!"

The two promising young men from the third branch of the Di family were an unexpected delight for Li Chengqian.

Although the two of them originally left no trace in history, the fact that they were able to leave their names was mostly due to their father, Di Zhiben, their fourth uncle, Di Zhixun, and the future prime minister, Di Renjie.

However, judging from his words and actions, Li Chengqian was quite confident about the future of the two of them.

Spring is in full bloom and the chill has subsided somewhat.

Meanwhile, the team from Taiyuan Prefecture, which was about to depart for Dengzhou and head to Silla, was fully prepared.

Prince Li Yin of Liang, the third prince to soar to great heights after Prince Li Ke of Han and Prince Li Tai of Wei, finally embarked on the official road leading away from Taiyuan Prefecture.

"Your Highness, rest assured, even if I lose my life there, I will never let a single hair on Prince Liang's head fall!"

Jing Junhong, who had been saved by Li Chengqian in front of Xuanwu Gate, bowed solemnly.

Li Chengqian nodded.

Watching the procession gradually disappear into the distance, he couldn't help but feel a complex mix of emotions.

Beside her, Qian Yingying called softly.

"Your Highness, please go back. Prince Liang is reserved and astute, and with Prince Han's assistance, nothing will happen to him..."

Li Chengqian nodded, but then suddenly sighed.

"I always hope that each of my younger brothers and sisters will become outstanding individuals, that they will make their mark on history through their own abilities, and that future generations will remember their achievements first, rather than as kings, princesses, or noblewomen..."

"However, now that I see even the sixth son, who used to be a troublemaker in the Imperial Academy, is now willing to go out and expand the territory of our Great Tang Dynasty... I feel a little reluctant to let him go."

aside.

The eunuchs Wang De, Sun Yi, and Gao Hai all smiled.

That emperor is quite well-behaved these days.

It's a pity that His Highness the Crown Prince inevitably has to act as both an elder brother and a parent... taking care of these princes and princesses.

the other side.

In the vast and impressive procession.

Li Yin sat with his arms crossed, leaning back on the soft cushions of the carriage. The further the caravan traveled from Taiyuan Prefecture, the colder his expression became.

His eyes seemed to radiate a chilling aura.

He stared expressionlessly at the trembling Silla princess, Kim Seung-man, before him.

She noticed that the other person didn't dare to look at her.

Li Yin twitched the corners of his mouth, then suddenly gave a sinister smile.

"Do you think your queen sister would agree to that defense contract when it's presented to her?"

"Would her ministers agree?"

Jin Shengman trembled.

however.

Before she could reply, Li Yin gave a cold laugh, slowly closed his eyes, and began to rest.

"It doesn't matter. After all, wasn't Kindeman just a princess before she ascended to the throne? And right now, there just happens to be a princess standing before me."

"If she's disobedient, we can simply strip her of her throne, tie her up, and send her back to my brother to be kept as a caged bird. That wouldn't be bad..."

"Hahahaha!" A burst of disdainful laughter came from Li Yuan's mouth.

Inside the large tent, Tang army generals were all laughing heartily.

"Marriage alliance? Hahahaha, that's utterly ridiculous. Do you think I, Chengqian, would take any woman? A princess? Ha... You people from the Western Regions, who would call a city a walled enclosure of bricks, and who would call themselves kings if they owned a city, a princess?"

"What kind of princess?"

After Li Yuan finished speaking, his expression immediately turned cold.

"Men, throw them out!"

As soon as these words came out.

The two ministers from Gaochang Kingdom present immediately changed their expressions.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. We truly surrender. Even if you do not agree to the marriage alliance, then... then my king is willing to send my Princess Gaochang to Taiyuan Prefecture, even if she is just to serve His Highness the Crown Prince tea and water, or to be a servant."

"We beg your country to spare our lives and let us go."

Now, the ministers of Gaochang finally became completely obedient.

Too scary!

From the moment they entered this military camp as envoys from Gaochang.

The Tang soldiers around them, whether they were regular soldiers or generals in the tent, all looked at them with a chilling gaze.

It's like looking at a walking piece of fat.

During this time, there were a few guys who looked like thugs who pretended not to see them and tried to rub against them as they passed by.

They dodged it with lightning speed.

surrender?

Li Yuan simply smiled coldly at this.

"Surrender? Surrender is certainly possible, but... are you talking about unconditional surrender?"

Upon hearing this, the two of them froze for a moment.

"This...Your Majesty, could you please allow us to retain some of our meager assets? I..."

"Drag him out, drag him out!" Before he could finish speaking, Li Yuan waved his hand impatiently.

Suddenly.

Two burly guards of Li Yuan walked in.

The two ministers from Gaochang turned pale instantly in fright.

"Wait, Your Majesty, wait! We are willing to move to Chang'an—no, we are willing to move to Taiyuan—to sing praises to His Highness the Crown Prince and pray for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. We beg Your Majesty to spare our lives, Your Majesty..."

The two were talking so much that they didn't care about anything else.

He immediately began kowtowing repeatedly.

"Ha! You guys? You still want to go to Taiyuan Prefecture?"

"Do you know how expensive a house is in Taiyuan these days?" Li Yuan's impatience and disdain deepened.

Li Jing will definitely be able to easily take down those Western Region reinforcements. Without the reinforcements, the capital of Gaochang will be no threat at all.

With just a flick of my wrist, you could become a property of my Great Tang Dynasty.

Now you think you can just kowtow a few times and expect my Tang Dynasty to support you?

What good things are you thinking about?

Without even glancing at the two Gaochang ministers who were being dragged away in a panic, Li Yuan turned to look at his good friend Pei Ji.

"Xuanzhen, are Jieli and Tuli getting quite plump and healthy in Chang'an now?"

"Write a letter to my rebellious emperor son, telling him that from now on, Jieli and Tuli's meals will be halved, and they will be made to practice dancing. If I return from this western expedition and their dancing does not meet my expectations..."

"Hmph! Send them all to the National Medical College!"

Datong, the military-controlled area behind the National Medical College.

The heavy iron gate was opened, and Soga Kiseki, accompanied by two attendants and led by a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) officer, entered.

They were still a bit dazed, not quite understanding where the so-called new campus was.

At this moment, the Imperial Guard flag officer standing to the side suddenly smiled and spoke to a Tang Dynasty officer who had come to greet them.

"We have three distinguished guests from Japan. His Highness the Crown Prince has instructed you to provide them with the utmost hospitality!"

The officer who was signing a handover document was stunned for a moment, and then a cold smile appeared on his face that made Soga Kiseki feel uneasy.

"Don't worry, Dean Berens and his team's skills are quite refined now..."